CHAPTER TWO – MUST BE A STRANGER

“What? No, not another!” Cassie froze in her quest to get out milk and cereal for both of them. “Where?”

 

“On The Rail, which makes it all the more creepy or – or appropriate depending on how you look at it!” Kari said.

 

The Rail was the local’s name for the closed military and weapons research base whose real designation was Fort Railian named after Col. Augustus Railian. The base had sustained Sanctuary for years. Everyone and their brother had worked there, including Kari’s mom. But now the huge empty complex with its rotting concrete buildings, trash-strewn streets and yawning, empty homes was a reminder of what could happen to Sanctuary itself if new business didn’t come in.

 

“Who is it? Do they know?” Cassie asked, gripping the cereal spoons too tightly in her suddenly clammy hands.

 

“They don’t know. Burnt beyond recognition again,” Kari said, her voice lowering in excited dread.

 

“Who is doing this? It’s so horrible,” Cassie said, and swallowed hard as the heat in her rose as if in sympathy.

 

“You gotta wonder. There’s no real rhyme or reason to it,” Kari said and then began to check off on her fingers the previous victims. “I mean first it was Pastor Robles set alight behind the rectory. He wouldn’t even hurt a fly! Then Marjorie Skinner burnt to a cinder in one of the old barracks. She was a librarian, a meek librarian at that. I mean who kills a librarian? Finally, this unknown person is torched on The Rail. It’ll probably be someone just as unlikely as those two.”

 

“The murderer can’t be someone local. Surely, we’d know if someone that sick was living here,” Cassie said.

 

“Yeah, it would be too creepy to think about it being someone like Mr. MacGruder down the street,” Kari said as she stole Cassie’s bowl of cereal. “But I’m surprised you didn’t know about the death already.”

 

“Why would I know?” Cassie grabbed another bowl for herself

 

“Your mom,” Kari said with her mouth full of milk and cornflakes.

 

“What about my mom?” Cassie asked.

 

“She was talking to the police chief about it yesterday. That is according to my mom. And when my mom says a thing, you know its true,” Kari said, pointed at Cassie with her milky spoon. “I would have called and told you before but she didn’t tell me about it until this morning.”

 

“She’s sure she saw my mom talking to Police Chief Phelps?” Cassie asked even as she remembered the frozen look on Rachel’s face when she’d come into the house yesterday and gone straight for the wine.

 

So that’s what upset her, Cassie thought. She guiltily glanced over at the couch where her mother had passed out last night. It was empty, as she knew it would be, yet still the tightness in Cassie’s chest eased. Kari knew about Rachel’s drinking and accepted it. But seeing Rachel passed out and drooling would have been embarrassing even under Kari’s forgiving gaze.

 

“She was more upset than usual last night, but she didn’t say anything about another death,” Cassie said.

 

But why did it upset her so badly? Cassie thought. It’s a terrible thing. An unnerving thing, but not really personal. As awful as that sounds. We weren’t close to any of the earlier victims for it to upend her like this. Is this victim someone we know?

 

“Hmmm, wonder why she didn’t say anything? Well, you could ask her,” Kari said, tapping the spoon against her chin. “Maybe she’s got the inside scoop from the Chief.”

 

“Can’t ask tonight,” Cassie answered softly. “I’ve got to work at the pizzeria and I won’t get back until 10. She’ll be indisposed by then.”

 

“Oh, right, yeah. Well, maybe you could give her a call at free period,” Kari said, as they both tacitly acknowledged Rachel’s drinking.

 

Cassie didn’t say anything instead her gaze lowered from Kari to the countertop. Only then did she notice that her hands were clenched into fists in front of her, knuckles whiter than the linoleum. She caught Kari looking at her gripped hands as well.

 

“Looks like I’m more freaked out a little by these deaths than I realized.” Cassie forced her hands to relax. The day had already been strange and she needed to feel that normalcy again with Kari, so with conscious levity she said, “Hey, why don’t you put away the dishes while I shower? I cooked, you clean!”

 

“Sounds good. Hurry it up, girl, we have to talk to everyone before class to find if anyone knows more about the murder,” Kari said, her eyes gleaming at the thought of gathering more info.

 

She’s a born reporter. Or town gossip. Take your pick, Cassie thought then she said out loud, “I can’t believe anyone is going to know more than you.”

 

“I’m only on top because I never stop hunting for intel, Cass,” Kari said, with a bounce of her curls.

 

Cassie let out a sigh, then laughed. Kari was irrepressible and she loved that about her. The heat still simmered in her belly, the headache still throbbed just behind her eyes, but she felt happy. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

 

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